Sunday, May 15, 2011

From a Dylan Hernandez interview with Frank McCourt, who is clearly watching every one of the games this impotent, sub-.500 team is playing:

"Yeah, I think we have a very, very good team," said McCourt, who took out a personal loan to meet last month's payroll obligation.

Okay, take a deep breath. Here's the full context:

Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said Saturday that even if the team didn't have financial problems, it would be made up of the kind of players it has now.

The Dodgers, who are in third place in the National League West, have a payroll of about $110 million. The figure includes $15 million in salary deferrals from previous seasons.

The Dodgers' payroll ranks 12th in the majors, according to USA Today's salary database. Their roster includes four players who went into spring training on minor league contracts and doesn't include an everyday left fielder.

Asked whether the composition of the team is a reflection of the organization's economic troubles, McCourt replied, "No."

So, even if everything were OK, this is the kind of team you would field?

"Yeah, I think we have a very, very good team," said McCourt, who took out a personal loan to meet last month's payroll obligation. [...]

McCourt said he is "very pleased" with how the Dodgers are performing on the field.

"It seems like a disproportionate number of injuries to some of our key players," he said. "Our guys continue to battle, play hard and play as a team. I think [Manager Don Mattingly] has them in a great spot in that regard and I'm proud of the way they're playing. I think if we can continue to do what we're doing until we get healthy and get on a little bit of a run, I think we'll be just fine.

McCourt said he believes the Dodgers are a playoff-caliber team, provided they overcome their health problems. The Dodgers have six players on the disabled list — Rafael Furcal, Casey Blake, Jonathan Broxton, Hong-Chih Kuo, Marcus Thames and Hector Gimenez.

"Instead of letting that be an excuse, they've pulled together as a team, continue to play hard and grind away," he said. "Really, that's a great sign for where we are."